EP2379374A1

EP2379374A1 - Pedestrian impact absorber mobile knuckle mount

Info

Publication number: EP2379374A1
Application number: EP09803845A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Laurent Brefort; Eric Michel Guy Narcy; Saïd Benane
Original assignee: Peugeot Citroen Automobiles SA
Current assignee: PSA Automobiles SA
Priority date: 2009-01-19
Filing date: 2009-12-11
Publication date: 2011-10-26
Also published as: FR2941203B1; FR2941203A1; BRPI0916497A2; WO2010081949A1; CN102282049A; CN102282049B

Abstract

The present invention relates to a reinforcing element (2) intended to be fitted to a bonnet (hood) (1) of an automotive vehicle so as to allow said bonnet (hood) (1) to be attached to a bonnet (hood) hinge, said element (2) being of the mobile knuckle mount type, characterized in that said element (2) comprises at least one absorbing zone (5) the geometry of which is tailored to deform and absorb some of the stress experienced by said element (2) in an impact. In particular, the absorbing zone (5) comprises at least one deformable bulge of material and the element (2) further comprises at least one substantially planar fixing zone (6, 7) intended to act as a mount for means of attaching said bonnet (hood) (1) to the bonnet (hood) hinge.

Description

MOBILE HINGE HOLDER IMPACT SHOCK ABSORBER.

The present invention relates to a reinforcing element intended to equip a motor-car hood to enable said hood to be fixed to a hood hinge, said element being of the movable carrier type.

In the traditional way, a mobile knuckle support consists of a substantially flat reinforcing plate and is intended to be attached in a hood of the car, at the joints of the hood with the chassis of the vehicle, in order to ensure the fixing of said bonnet hinges attached to the frame. Car manufacturers are constantly seeking to improve the safety of their vehicles and / or preserve the physical integrity of their passengers and pedestrians who might be involved in a crash. New passive safety devices are thus developed. In this context, the bonnet of a vehicle contributes very significantly to the passive safety of the vehicle since it is very often the part that is struck by the pedestrian during an impact, especially the head of the pedestrian.

In addition to the deformable covers to mitigate shocks as described, for example, in patent application EP 1 829 769, it is known, for example from application FR 2 896 216, to equip a vehicle hood with a device active movement of the rear portion of the vehicle hood from a closed position to an elevated position in the event of impact with a pedestrian. Such a device requires, in addition to a complex intermediate mobile knuckle at each articulation of the hood, the additional implantation in the vehicle of locking means and shock detection. Such a device is effective but cumbersome and very expensive. However, the current trend of automakers is to offer maximum benefits with limited hits and a global mass of the vehicle under control. Moreover, such a device comprises electronic elements that are susceptible to failures. Finally, the assembly of such a device is complex and the vehicle must be adapted to be equipped with such a device.

The present invention aims to remedy all or part of the various disadvantages mentioned above.

In this technical context, the object of the present invention is to provide a new passive safety element that can be integrated at low cost in a hood for a motor vehicle. For this purpose, the present invention relates to a reinforcing element intended to equip a motor vehicle hood to enable said hood to be fixed to a hood hinge, said element being of the movable carrier type, characterized in that said element comprises less a damping zone whose geometry is adapted to deform and absorb some of the stresses experienced by said element during an impact.

Thus, an element according to the present invention makes it possible to confer on the hinge zones of a hood a passive safety function while avoiding the addition of new automobile parts in comparison with a conventional vehicle not equipped with the element according to the invention. invention. The equipment of a vehicle with the element according to the present invention therefore does not significantly change the mass of the vehicle relative to the same vehicle equipped with a conventional mobile knuckle support.

Moreover, since the element according to the present invention integrates into the pre-existing hollow bodies of a vehicle hood, it is not necessary to adapt the vehicle to free space for the implantation of said element. .

Finally, the element according to the present invention presents an inexpensive alternative to the active devices of the prior art. In one embodiment of the invention, the damping zone comprises at least one deformable bulge of material.

In one embodiment of the invention, the element further comprises at least one substantially flat fixing zone intended to serve as a support means for fixing said cover to the hood hinge. Thus, an element according to the present invention can be attached at a fastening area to the bonnet liner and a movable knuckle.

In one embodiment of the invention, the damping zone has a general convex shape delimiting a cavity.

In one embodiment of the invention, in a transverse section of said element, the cavity has a curved profile, trapezoidal or trapezoidal stages.

In one embodiment of the invention, notches are provided in the damping zone. Notches in the form of damping make it possible to improve the deformation of said damping zone and the absorption of kinetic energy released during an impact. The number and the positioning of said notches can be optimized by calculation.

In one embodiment of the invention, the element is monoblock.

The present invention also relates to a hood for a motor vehicle comprising a skin forming the outer surface of said hood, a lining forming the inner surface of the hood, and at least one element according to the present invention, characterized in that the element is arranged between the skin and the lining. Thus, the present invention provides a hood for an automobile having a passive safety function in case of impact, at the joints thereof, without requiring special adaptation of the vehicle to be equipped. In particular, a pre-existing vehicle may be subsequently equipped with a hood according to the invention without particular adaptation or significant change in mass thereof. In one embodiment of the invention, the element is in connection with the inner face of the skin.

In one embodiment of the invention, a bead of adhesive material provides the connection between the skin and the element. A bead of sticky material makes it possible to ensure the correct positioning of the element when it is mounted in a hood according to the invention.

In one embodiment of the invention, the cavity is located between the liner and said element according to the invention or opens out of the liner. Finally, the present invention relates to a vehicle equipped with a hood according to the present invention. The invention will be better understood with the aid of the detailed description which is set out below with reference to the appended drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the front portion of a vehicle equipped with a hood according to the present invention; Figure 2 shows a partial view of a hood equipped with an element according to the present invention positioned on a lining of a hood according to the invention; Figure 3 shows a schematic cross sectional view of a hood according to the present invention; Figures 4a, 4b and 4c show schematic cross-sectional views of the damping area of an element according to the present invention. In the description that follows the terms "longitudinal" and

"Transversal" refers to the reference vehicle where the term "longitudinal" characterizes a direction substantially oriented along the length of the vehicle and where "transverse" characterizes a direction substantially oriented along its width.

A hood 1 according to the invention comprises an element 2 as represented in FIG. 2. Two elements 2 according to the invention are assembled on the hood 1 at the level of the articulation zones 3 of said hood 1 represented in FIG. element 2 fitted to the cover 1 is not visible from the outside since it is located under the skin 4 of said cover 1 constituting the outer surface thereof.

An element 2 according to the present invention may be integral and comprises a damping zone 5 situated in the median part of the element 2 and whose geometry is adapted to deform and absorb a part of the stresses experienced by said element 2 during 'a shock with a pedestrian. The element 2, as represented in FIG. 2, also comprises two attachment zones 6, 7 each intended to serve as support for means for fastening said cover 1 to a movable knuckle, not shown, ensuring the articulation of said cover 1 with the vehicle. The damping area 5 consists of a bulge of material capable of deforming to absorb a portion of the kinetic energy released in case of impact, with a pedestrian for example. In order to facilitate the deformation, this damping zone 5 may have a generally convex shape delimiting a cavity 8. According to a cross-section of said element 2, the cavity 8 may have a profile such as those represented in FIGS. 4a to 4c, for example a curved profile (Figure 4a), trapezoidal (Figure 4b) or even trapezoidal stages (Figure 4c). These geometries are however not limiting.

To facilitate the deformation of the damping zone 5 and the energy absorption in the event of impact, notches 9 can be formed in the said damping zone 5. Their number and their positions can then be optimized by computer calculations.

The present invention also relates to a hood 1 equipped with an element 2 as described above. Thus, the shape and dimensions of this element 2 are chosen so that it can be inserted between the skin 4 of the cover 1 and a lining 10 forming the inner surface of said cover 1. Figure 2, the skin 4 of said cover 1 has been omitted to simplify the understanding of the invention.

As shown in Figure 3, which shows a sectional view of a hood 1 according to the invention along a transverse axis passing through the cavity 8 of the element 2, the skin 4 and the lining 10 define a hollow body 1 1 in which is disposed the element 2. The element 2 has the advantage for automakers to be able to equip a pre-existing vehicle hood without having to adapt the shape of the skin and / or lining.

The cavity 8 defined by the element 2 is located between the lining 10 and the element 2 or even, in a form not shown, the cavity 8 opens out of the lining 10. In an embodiment not shown, the cavity 8 can be filled with a flexible material such as a foam to improve the kinetic energy absorption. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 3, there may be a gap 12 of small thickness formed inside the hollow body 11 between the element 2 and the skin 4. However, a bead of adhesive material 13 may be disposed on the element 2 to ensure a connection of said element 2 with the skin 4 of said cover 1 to facilitate the setting of the different parts constituting the cover 1 during its assembly.

In the event of an impact involving a vehicle equipped with a hood 1 according to the invention and a pedestrian, if it strikes the bonnet 1, the skin 4 deforms while approaching the lining 10, the hollow body 11 decreases in volume and the possible interval 12 disappears during this deformation. The damping zone 5 of the element 2 situated in the hollow body 1 1, in contact with the skin 4, is also deformed due to the stresses exerted by the latter. This deformation of the damping zone 5 allows a dissipation of the kinetic energy released by the impact with the pedestrian, which ultimately reduces the violence of the shock for the pedestrian.

Thus, the present invention describes an element 2 which makes it possible to confer on the articulation zones 3 of a hood 1 a passive safety function while avoiding the addition of new automobile parts in comparison with a conventional vehicle not equipped with the element 2 according to the invention. The equipment of a vehicle with the element 2 does not significantly change the mass of the vehicle compared to a similar vehicle equipped with a conventional mobile knuckle support. Furthermore, since the element 2 can be integrated into the pre-existing hollow body 1 1 of a hood 1 for a vehicle, it is not necessary to adapt a vehicle to free space for the implantation of said element 2.

Of course the examples of embodiments mentioned above are not limiting in nature and further details and improvements can be made to the element according to the invention, without departing from the scope of the invention where other forms of the element can be realized.

Claims

Motor vehicle hood (1) comprising a skin (4) forming the outer surface of said hood (1), a lining (10) forming the inner surface of the hood (1), and at least one reinforcing element (2) intended to equip an automobile hood (1) to enable said hood (1) to be fastened to a hood hinge, said element (2) being of a movable knuckle support type, characterized in that said element (2) is arranged between the skin (4) and the lining (10) and comprises at least one damping zone (5) whose geometry is adapted to deform and absorb some of the stresses experienced by said element (2) during an impact.

2. Hood (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the damping zone (5) of the element (2) of reinforcement comprises at least one deformable bulge material.

3. Hood (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the reinforcing element (2) further comprises at least one substantially planar fixing zone (6, 7) intended to serve as support for fixing said cover (1) to the hood hinge.

4. Hood (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the damping zone (5) of the element (2) of reinforcement has a generally convex shape delimiting a cavity (8).

5. Cover (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that in a cross section of said element (2), the cavity has a curved profile, trapezoidal or trapezoidal stages.

6. Cover (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that notches (9) are formed in the damping region (5) of the element (2) of reinforcement.

7. Hood (1) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the element (2) is in connection with the inner face of the skin (4).

8. Hood (1) according to claim 7, characterized in that a bead of adhesive material (13) provides the connection between the skin (4) and the element (2).

9. Motor vehicle comprising a hood (1) for a motor vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 8.